Anyone can get hurt in a car crash. Even the safest, most responsible driver could get hurt when another person runs a red light. Certain factors do increase your risk of getting into a crash.
The more time you spend on the road, the more miles you travel and the higher your overall risk for a collision. Men are significantly more likely than women to cause fatal car crashes, and even age can play a factor in someone’s risk.
Despite women being less likely to be at fault for motor vehicle collisions than men, they have higher risk of getting hurt in a crash. The risk isn’t just anecdotal. There are decades of safety data backing up the claim that vehicle design puts women at elevated risk. Researchers estimate that women have 72% higher risk of injury and 17% higher risk of death in a crash when compared with a male driver or passenger. Why is that risk so high?
Manufacturers don’t consider women’s bodies
Every vehicle has to undergo crash testing before manufacturers can release it to the public. The manufacturers and federal regulatory agencies overseeing vehicle design and production have engaged in decades of inadequate safety measures by only performing tests based on male bodies and not female bodies.
Years of statistical evidence help show that vehicle designs plays a major role in a woman’s risk of getting hurt on the road. However, neither regulatory agencies nor manufacturers have changed their practices to make vehicles safer for women.
What do these negligent design practices mean for you?
As a woman who drives frequently or someone who cares about a woman, you have every reason to worry about the increased risk for female vehicle occupants. Understanding the increased risk might prompt you to drive more cautiously. It might also make you a question the circumstances leading to your injuries or the recent death of a loved one.
In some cases, those negatively affected by a car crash have the right not just to an insurance claim against the driver at fault but also a civil lawsuit. If defective design plays a direct role in the injuries someone suffered in a wreck, that could potentially open the manufacturer up to civil claim. Exploring all of your options for compensation after a car crash is the best way to get justice for your family.
